From cheap train travel in India to Palladio tours of Vicenza and US visa rules, JOAN SCALESanswer your travel questions
Cheap family travel in India
Aged parents would like to take a trip to India with two sons, 15 and 13, which involves a flight to Delhi and home from Mumbai with a train between the two cities (not an expensive Orient Express-type train). We would like to go for about two weeks over Christmas. My efforts are blocked by the expense of the need to book two rooms rather than one family room and we are a bit long in the tooth for the backpacker experience.
RT, Dublin
Christmas is peak season in India and flights and hotels can be more expensive, so staying in smaller guesthouses or heritage boutique hotels could make it more reasonable.
What you are looking to do is a tailor-made trip and, while India can be less expensive than other places, anything that is packaged for you will be more expensive. It is hard to put an exact price on what you are hoping to do, but I think €1,500-€2,000 each is around what you could expect to pay.
There are two companies in Ireland I recommend. Both are experienced in the Indian market and can provide the type of holiday you are looking for. Contact Indian Dreams on 01-2948412 or indiandreams.ie. Incredible India, based in Cork, is at incredibleindia.ie or phone 021-4277094.
You may find that there is a tour you can piggyback on that will keep the cost down. Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com) has a tour from Mumbai to Delhi over 14 days, by train, jeep and bus. It is a step above backpacker tours and accommodation is in simple guesthouses. The cost is the main factor here with prices from €670 for the trip, not including meals. Flights would be extra, airindia.com, jetairways.com, airfrance.ie.
The train between Delhi and Mumbai is the Rajdhani Express which runs daily and has air-conditioned sleeper cabins, indianrail.gov.in.
Visit Vicenza with Palladio in mind
My family and I would like to visit Vicenza to walk in the footsteps of Andrea Palladio and visit his villas and urban buildings throughout the Veneto region. Can you recommend the best way to do this; accommodation can be hotel or self-catering, but guided tours of the most important sites are essential. JT, Meath
The right company for your trip to Vicenza is Martin Randall Travel (martinrandall.com). Based in the UK, it organises a great selection of cultural tours. It has two tours that fit the bill. The tours are all led by experts in their field. Its “Palladio’s villas” is a five-day trip from Gatwick and the next one is on September 28th.
The tour will visit a good number of palazzi and villas by Palladio, including some that can only be visited by private arrangement. His most famous building, La Rotonda, is on the itinerary as well as his last building, Teatro Olimpico.
The tour – including flights, accommodation in a four-star hotel, most meals with wine, tours, tips and lectures – costs £1,290pps (about €1,420).
The other tour is to the Veneto next year in April. Over seven days you will get to visit Vicenza, with tours to many of Palladio’s buildings. Other towns on the itinerary include Treviso, Asolo, Bassano, Possagno, Padua and Verona with visits to some extraordinary places. The cost from £1,930pps (about €2,120) includes flights, accommodation, four dinners with wines, all tours, tips and lectures.
Do I need a visa for the US from Canada?
We are going to Canada on holidays to visit friends and will also probably take a trip to the United States. Do we need to have a visa if we are travelling into America by car?
MM, Limerick
If you have an Irish passport and are just visiting you do not need a visa. However, whether you arrived in the United States by air, land or water, you will need an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation). This is essentially a PIN number, that has to be applied for in advance of your travel.
The bad news is that the US is going to begin charging for issuing ESTAs from September 8th. The cost is $14 (€12) per person and every one in the family has to have one. You can apply for it online, you do not need your exact date of travel or full details of transport. It is valid for two years or until your passport runs out, whichever is first. Apply online to esta.cbp.dhs.gov. This is the only official site. Beware of other sites that are charging fees for issuing ESTAs.
Clothes for Canada in September
I would appreciate any advice on what type of clothes to pack for a holiday in the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver during September. I am unable to get any definitive information on the weather and temperatures in that part of Canada at that time of year.
CC, Dublin
I was in the Rockies in September some years ago and was reminded of Ireland. We had four seasons in one day, including snow flurries. However, it was not too cold. Temperatures can swing up and down in September and the evenings will be cool to cold depending on where you are.
Pack light to medium weight clothes and bring waterproofs, a cardigan, jacket and shoes. You will also need sunscreen. Bring something lighter and something heavier than you think you need, and that’s probably what you will end up wearing. You can expect temperatures between eight and 22 degrees and probably rain in Vancouver.
Please send your questions with name and address to jscales@irishtimes.com